Thursday, September 11, 2008 Tip toe Posted in Protager Gardening Tip toe through the Tulips with me...... Spring is in the air, every sight & every sound. And my order from Koanga Gardens arrived, Tomato Carlton Victory - a red beefsteak type. NZ Heirloom Cucumber Green apple - NZ heirloom lettuce heirloom mix Capsicum - early red heirloom Cucumber port Albert - NZ heirloom (Grew these last year & really thrilled with them) Coriander - modern day parsley love this herb!! Home all day today so hope to begin planting seeds. It's been a busy week - a good week of school - seems funny only a few weeks until school holidays drat! after all the sickness we are just getting into a good routine of home school. Cats- I've had pecking order issues with stroppy queens as can happen - jolly pain these girls - sure see where the term catty comes from. Have a kitten owner who wishes to have a litter - so huge thinking & planning going on and negotiating a stud for her to use. I don't sell breeding stock but I MIGHT just do it as it will enable me to keep a kitten from my lines & I want to aim for blue in progeny so at this stage I think I will agree to it. Family questioning my decision especially keeping another cat GRIN! I am also trying to come to a breeders decision to move on a queen who is spayed and is also causing a bit of trouble among the cats. Coldly she should be moved on. But I'm a softy and well...... however if the right owner comes along I might let her go. Been studying like mad on holistic approach for cats including homeopathic & raw diet feeding for cats. If my family would let me I would raise rabbits to feed the cats - but I have very firm protest to that. My nose is in books while I sit at table with kids - gets easier as they get older & they are able to work more on their own. Also studying Organic gardening one can never have too much knowledge & I am very passionate about soil. It is the hub of the garden. There is no time in my life to ever have nothing to do. • Comments (1) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Friday, September 5, 2008 Thursday & making potato beds. Posted in Protager Gardening Thursday was fine, overcast & occasional showers. Nearly got all the washing done. I had to stop & start garden work from being puffed out & the rain - normally I wouldn't care if I got rained on but was sensible since just getting over the flu. When I cam inside I continued cutting out next quilt block - hope to have that finished today. Maori potatoes Old Blue sprouted & at rear are Tutaekuri I begun my plan to grow some spuds in old tyres. Layer of thick newspaper. I put some sheep & goat poop collected from paddock mixed with some pine needles as next layer. Then it rained. My partner in crime - James will help me put a layer of matured compost, then some topsoil. Then I'll pop about 3- 4 potatoes with at least an inch shoot in each tyre. . Top with soil. As the halum grow up out of the spud/ tyre I'll add more compost & soil & add another tyre. - Leave the tops of greenery poking through though. A good way to grow potatoes & quite fun to watch the tyres get bigger. Lets hope we can dig some up for New Years day. I also  prunned the roses in front - I'm a tad late getting this finished. I also decided to move some to front bank. The front bank I've never liked, last year I tried to grow veges on it but just too hard to keep water in the soil with the slope. So I'm turning it into a rose/cottage garden. And inside picket fence where roses were I have planned a blueberry garden - but that will be next years project, just keep it lawn for this year. We have a big mound of sticks from trees that needs mulching - I plan to use these once mulched as ground cover & then also some bark to keep weeds at bay. James wants to plant sunflowers in garden too. I am happy for that - I prefer a cottage rambling look more than structure & order. AND BIG BUZZ I saw an add in local paper for Macrocarpa sleepers ages ago, finally the add was in the paper again - I was thrilled as they are $10.00 per metre with free delivery! Talking to Brent we need about 40 metres. Huge saving compared to local ring around, so pleased I waited. It;s soo nice to be feeling well. • Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Saturday, August 30, 2008 Get Growing Garden Challenge Posted in Protager Gardening Lynda from NZ Gardener has set us all 10 things to in the garden this weekend: - Ok here I sit 5.30am with seed box to plan my challenge. - What fun! 1. Sew one type of tomato you have never grown before. Rhonda from Down To Earth has shared about her Brandy wine pink tomaotes - so I have ordered some of these - will sow when they arrive. Plus I've chosen Tomato Rainbow Blend 2. Sew Radish seeds Radish Daikon Green Misato from Eco Seeds 3. Plant strawberries 4. Start planting seed potatoes. Ahhh I have some NZ Maori Potatoes I have been raising eyes - so will plant these - I think they are called Old Blue. Plus I like the sound of Pink Fir as Lynda mentioned in this weeks email - my order is in with Koanga Gardens, they are a traditional Irish potato 5.Sow or plant beetroot 6. Sow Carrots 7. Sow Lettuce 8. Plant a new fruit tree. 9. Stake a young fruit tree. 10 Take a before photo & then one every weekend to watch progress. • Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Sunday, July 20, 2008 Olive harvest Posted in Protager Gardening A wet day - not cold but wet, I am really ready for spring I could quite happy skip winters. Brent worked on land cruiser & got the LPG in - his handy skills save us soo much money!!! He also preserved his olives.   Brent & James Picked our  olives when changing colour from green to black. Placed olives in a jar and covered with water and 1 1/2 Tablespoons rock salt. Change the water daily for 10 to 12 days, rinsing off any scum that may appear. Sample daily until bitter taste goes away Next step is to prepare a brine solution. Brine solution : 1 Tablespoon rock salt per jar. Rinse olives and eat a few Place into sterilised jars or clean containers and water top of the olives Add 2 Tablesoons Balsamic Vinegar add 1 dried chilli sliced Lemon rind & some lemon juice 1 small lemon Be sparing with any flavourings you may wish to add.....making sure you have washed the herbs first. Sprigs of thyme; rosemary; oregano; garlic clove; small dried chilli; mustard seeds; coriander seeds; zest of lemon peel. Seal with 5 ml olive oil (this also gives the olives a nice taste as you are fishing them out to taste)  Keep in a cool place and leave for 4 to 6 weeks,  testing as you wish Yes our very first jar of olives from our olive grove. We were told to remove all the olives the first year of growing, but we couldn't. - They taste real nice & seem to be going down by the day. • Comments (3) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Saturday, June 7, 2008 Gardening Posted in Protager Gardening Friday wasn't too cold, once one got working in the garden any way. I enjoyed my time outdoors weeding & planting garlic. Normally I plant it on the shortest day of the year but my friend Marie said she planted her garlic earlier this year & so does NZ Gardener - so why not give it a go. I personally struggle with NZ free trade agreement with China  - it has just about destroyed NZ garlic growers market, and often all you can buy in the supermarkets is garlic from china which has been sprayed to stop sprouting. So I've planted plenty of garlic as we use it a lot. Read more about it HERE What are we doing New Zealand????? The article sure makes you think about where your so called fresh vegetable has actually come from to end up on the supermarket shelf. This makes Brent & I all the more determined to grow a bigger, better vegetable garden. But first we have to deal with our pests the Pukeko's See the damage they have done. What is left of my spinach  & lettuceWhat they kindly left of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower. Broad beans they have left. So a bit of retail therapy is needed Crocs - I've ordered some PURPLE Georgie gumboots & some BLUE fleece lined Mammoths. • Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Friday, June 6, 2008 I hereby Declare WAR!!! Posted in Protager Gardening I had noticed some spinach had been nibbled at. But yesterday morning I was faced with a grinning Pukeko -I swear it was grinning at me with a very fat tum! My vege garden is stripped - everything eaten all but the new shoots of broad beans. Pukeko's are protected in New Zealand - and I think they jolly well know it! Brent has suggested we invest in some Cloches And my next garden he builds me I will be fenced in so these beasty birds won't ransack my garden. I'm rather sad about all my winter veges being eaten. Yesterday  I didn't get to quilt. After orthadonstist James wanted to visit the model shop, he got some WWII models to paint. We did school, I try hard to do school most days as it's too easy not to do school. James & I are reading Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls & doing a Progeny Press with the book. James didn't want to do it - thought it would be girlie - but we are having fun! After school I hit the books with my course ohhh my algebra is not my thing - I'm sure accountants make things much harder than they need to be....I'm pleased I have started it & I don't think it is as hard as I thought.Abbey had finished her baby bib she had crossstitched for our friend who is due August, so she wanted to begin a new project. Up to next town to their library to look at Debbie Bliss patters & zip into quilt shop to buy wool & quilt fabric for the birthday swap. 5.01pm Click, Click, tap, tap, tap went the pen of the shop assistant. Then in a LOUD voice to the owner of the shop "I'll bring in the mat & the CLOSED sign" We had arrived at 5 to 5 I thought they closed at 5.30pm - so we got the hint & kept our money in our purse for another shop. - I giggled to Abbey I never knew shops had signs outside on the footpath that said CLOSED - did you??? A busy day - hope today ,Friday I don;t have to go out - been out everyday this week. I need an at home day. I like being home it's too easy for the housework to get behind being out & about everyday - just the must do's of daily cleaning & cattery are not enough to keep on top of things. • Comments (2) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Sunday, June 1, 2008 I have the BESt Husband EVER Posted in Protager Gardening My friend had asked me if I would like some fruit trees, some elderly ladies from her church were down scaling their bushes. All it meant was I had to dig out the trees & move them. So I said yes sure - but Brent said No way! - mm I didn't see that one coming. Brent & I get on really well, we only really argue over two things buying cars & planting trees. So I chose not to follow through with the trees. My friend rang to say the old ladies had dug out the black current bush & I was to pick it up. I tried to phone the old ladies & they hung up on me. I re phoned & this time understood who I was & organised a time for me to collect the bush. Brent just looked at me & said "I'm busy today putting the radiator back in Chev - I don''t mind as long as I have nothing to do with it" - as I said to Brent even if it was no good for transplanting I just felt I wanted to do a good deed & take it away for the ladies. James was happy to be my parter in crime. And off we went in the land cruiser. I was sooo proud of James - he is such a worker & happily listened & did as the very frail old ladies told him. He won them over! Next thing we are getting a cherry tree too & they had James digging it out. They had watched on TV how you plant a tree in the plastic bag  that they come with from the garden shop. James got the tree out & it looks pretty close to how one would get it from the nursery. - The ladies said they do not recommend the planting in the bag technique. We had an awesome tour of their garden - they have lived their for 30 years & are 100% organic - ooh the teaching these ladies could share. All the gardens are netted so no birds can get their crops, they have frost covered gardens. Compost bins & a worm farm to die for - I was drooling over this. They had two old baths - each slanted so the rain pipe was lower & underneath was buckets to catch the juice. Each bath was enclosed & insulated. Sadly the ladies health are not good & the property is too much for them, they are facing having to go into a rest home - my heart just went out for them. Their garden is obviously such a big part of their life - every bit of space is filled with something you can eat. They have freezers & pantries full of their produce. One of the ladies said she hops a family will buy it who wants to keep the garden organic. I'm going to do my very best to find such a family for them. I personally loved what they had done! Home we come & Brent enjoyed listening to my tales of their garden, he told me to leave the trees & today he is going to buy me some good soil & compost & make me an area for our orchard. Plus he said he will come with James & I to dig out the next cherry tree & two more black currant bushes they have kindly given us. I'll take my camera & share what their garden is like - it really was wonderful to visit!. • Comments (1) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Monday, May 26, 2008 How Does your Garden Grow. Posted in Protager Gardening Broad Bean shoots are poking through. I've never grown these before as I am NOt a fan of broad beans but Brent is - maybe my tastes have changed as I've aged??? Fingers crossed that the pukeko's don't deal to them. seedlings are coming along. I've had to water garden as we have had no rain - lovely for us but the garden & grass does need some rain. • Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Monday, May 5, 2008 Sunday at home Posted in Protager Gardening MM well I'm not on the bench - just my paws. And I'm listening hard waiting to be told off. Girls straight into the worms.James' Autumn themed scarecrow he tells me he will make a new one for each season. (Last one was eaten by Molly Goat) Planted broad beans & carrots in garden yesterday. A nice Autumn day weather wise. • Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Sunday, April 13, 2008 Scarecrows BEWARE Posted in Protager Gardening The summer garden by the house is all finished. Brent put an electric fence up to get the sheep to mow the grass for him. Molly our pet goat has stripped the last of the beans & then began to eat the scarecrow. Sorry about photo quality - new camera is on it's way! But f you look carefully you can see Molly's bottom & then find her head in the scarecrow's head. • Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Friday, April 11, 2008 Worm Farm Posted in Protager Gardening I was going to add these as my photos for a Simple Woman's Day - but I just didn't get back to computer yesterday. So here are the photos First layer of newspaper, cardboard, food scraps (Pam note I have the S in front of scraps today - Pam always tells me of all my typing errors ) The worms arrived safe n sound via mail & enjoyed their layer of dirt to hide under before thy went to eat their breakfast. I've put a layer of damp cardboard on top and then the lid. A very simple & effective worm farm - I don;t want too big a one as most of our scraps go to chickens & the compost. I think scraps to the chooks are amazing that the scraps turn into an egg in a few days - bliss nothing like a warm fresh egg. • Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Tuesday, April 8, 2008 Worms & Frogs Posted in Protager Gardening Yep simple things make us happy. Brent brought some flies for his frogs - with the cooler weather we have had less flies (YAH) My worms were posted yesterday & they should arrive today - their new home is all ready - I am keeping the worm farm just out my back door - so easy to feed. And I will pop a rock on top of lid so the wind doesn't blow lid off & when chickens are free range they don't eat my new friends. (I know this from experience) - but shhh I didn't tell the worm breeder) • Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Sunday, April 6, 2008 Compost Posted in Protager Gardening As it's autumn here I am being a busy bee collecting up leaves & making compost. There are 5 main ingredients in a compost. Carbon -eg think BROWN & dry ingredients such as dry leaves, hay, straw, twiggy prunings, paper, cardboard, vegie stalks, dried grass clippings, saw dust. Nitrogen -eg think Green & moist such as green grass clippings, food scraps, animal waste, manure. Activators - these feed & encourage the compost to work - eg seaweed, manure, comfrey, yarrow, tansy, blood & bone, potash. Air- so the co post can breathe the microorganisms which turn your waste into compost needs oxygen to survive & multiply. Turning your compost helps to add air back into it. Water water each layer of compost as you go - but not too much just damp like a wrung out dishcloth Carbon rich (think Brown materials) will make up the bulk of your compost with thinner nitrogen (think Green) layers & activators to help heat it up (manure etc) Start with a layer of twigs at the bottom to provide airflow - then add carbon (brown), then a think layer of nitrogen (green), a thin layer of activator (manure), and just keep repeating this recipe - brown, green, manure, brown, green, manure.... Moisten each layer as you go. Make sure each layer has a flattish top - not a hump this is so the heat will reach the sides otherwise the heat tends to stay in the hump. When the compost bin is full - cover the top with sacks, carpet, underfelt etc & leave to brew. A good system for composting. Have three bins - one being built, one brewing & one for using. Have a hose beside the compost to moisten each layer. Have a couple of piles of carbon & activator by your compost bin so each time you add kitchen scraps or a nitrogen (green) layer - you can layer directly on top without leaving food exposed. This will speed up the decomposing. Grow comfry, tansy, yarrow near your bin - I have comfry around the chicken coop as it's good for the chickens. I have been warned comfry spreads - so far so good. What NOT to put in your compost. Any diseased plants, cat or dog waste, meat scraps - give then to the chooks, weeds with seed heads, runners or bulbs. Burn these weeds or make them into sludge by putting them in a black plastic bag & leaving them until they turn all sludgy then pop them on compost heap. Problems with your compost It smells like AMMONIA  - You have too much nitrogen (green). Add some carbon (brown) & activators (manure) It smells MUSTY Add lime, newspaper & activators - it may need water too. It smells OFF Will need air - possibly too wet so add carbon. Turn compost pile add lime & activators. Mice in compost - not enough heat or too dry - add activators & lime, water if too dry - and correct carbon - nitrogen ratio. Flies hanging around each time food scraps are added - add a layer of carbon on top. GOOD COMPOST Should be dark & crumbly - smelling earthy - and your veges & fruit will love it! • Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Sunday, March 23, 2008 Harvest Moon Posted in Protager Gardening This year I have been learning about gardening by the moon - I've really enjoyed watching the moon and how it changes. I see it often when I get up in the wee hours & it's still up now at 7.15am - the days are getting shorter here in NZ & I suppose longer in northern hemisphere. We are in the Harvest Moon Easter is measured in the Northern Hemisphere & I find it fascinating that in my life time I'll never see an early Easter again - which will not happen until a day earlier - 22nd March 2285. - Easter is different every year as it's calculated as the first Sunday after a full moon after the equionx We are noticing the change in light & shorter day time - Daylight savings doesn't end until 3am, 6th April this year. • Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Monday, March 17, 2008 Gardening Posted in Protager Gardening As I missed out on going with Brent I turned my focus & time to my garden. I was able to clear up the peas & rock melons now finished - sorted out some tomatoes that had gone rather messy - hence I have another FULL basket of tomatoes - many green. So will make green chutney & have a go at making green fried tomatoes - never done this before but the movies Abbey & I have both seen inspired this. I also collected a basket of sunflower seeds - it was nice sitting outside listening to the audio book The Other Boleyn Girl  Abbey & I had started listening to it while stripping her wallpaper & I when we got to use the ladder - there wasn't much for Abbey to do she did something else & only I have listened to it - thank goodness as it is very adult material in her books - I have to say wow listening to such via audio even makes the birds n the bees blush - the fast forward button has been used a lot. Shame the author Phillippa Gregory feels she has to go in such detail of the bedroom activity it has spoiled the book for me. I'll have to find someone who has seen the movie first before I will go. But still the topic of Henry VIII and how his ruling & changes of the law I've enjoyed listening to. Abbey was busy in the kitchen she made a nut bar, a yummy apple cake that we had for pudding & James some allergy free muffins. For dinner we had tacos The change in weather is happening - I was really cold last night watering my garden - should of had another layer on - it's cold outside this morning too. Oh I nearly forgot - Rhonda Jean from Down to Earth has answered on of my questions Last year we brought in by the truck load some organic compost - all my seedlings bolted & went to seed. I think I have finally found out why - the compost was too hot & still working. I am tickled pink to have found a blogger who I can go & ask my gardening question to - Down to Earth blog is well worth a visit. • Comments (1) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Friday, February 29, 2008 Tomato Relish Posted in Protager Gardening As you can see my tomato plants are a huge success - gee I am enjoying picking these! Yesterday I made Tomato Relish. 2 kg of ripe tomatoes (Oh I have had some toms that are 500g each - ie 1lb each!) 6 onions - chopped. 600ml of vinegar - I used white & malt as ran out of malt - I could of sworn I had more in stockpile. 500g sugar 6 dried chillies chopped - I used ones we had picked & dried last year. 11/2 Tablespoons dry mustard powder 1 Tablespoon curry powder 1 tablespoon salt. Skin tomatoes - I am getting real good at this - boil the jug & pop toms in the sink (plug in) & pour hot water over them - then with kitchen tongs pull out your tome & the skin just peels off. - skins go to chooks - nothing is wasted around here! Roughly chop toms. Put all ingredients in a pot  - bring to boil then simmer until thick - takes about 1 1/2 hours & seems to half in volume. Bottle & enjoy! Photo is of what I saved for us to eat this week - it really is good! Today I am making tomato soup to freeze for winter time. YUM! • Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Monday, February 25, 2008 The Growing Challenge Posted in Protager Gardening Not much has changed in a week - just picking lots of tomatoes. I did pick a bunch of carnations - I don;t really get into growing flowers - but the kids have wanted to & I must say I am enjoying them. The house smells wonderful. With such an allergy family flowers don't get  in the home. I must say they smell & look beautiful! Otaki Pink was Brent's mum favourite flower - so carnations remind me very much of her - Oh these were growing in the vege garden as the border just by some tomatoes heheheh • Comments (1) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Sunday, February 24, 2008 We are moving & it's happening sooner than I thought Posted in Protager Gardening Brent said lets move the vegetable garden - ye ha! _ it has been quite a struggle to keep water on my slope - and for the time & work not as productive. So the vegetable garden is moving up by the cattery - this was where it was before we had to build on top of it for the cattery - Wish I was blogging back then so we had a good record of all the changes we have made. Brent is having time off in March - and he said he will start building me my new vege gardens. I am very thrilled! Talking of vege gardens - I am in the Garden Challenge Mel has done an amazing post of fellow gardeners - well worth a cuppa tea time out & meet new bloggers. I found a fun new blogger who loves gadgets - Eat Close To Home CLICK HERE TO Design your own garden it really is FUN!!! I bet all kids - big & small will love playing with this! Food Shed Planet has a victory garden drive - that I've joined - the blog encourages more people to grow their own food - A good thing!!! I've been up for hours - been soo hot here - we were meant to get rain - didn't water last night so I better get cracking & water this morning - we really could do with some rain - just  a bit not to the extreme some of the country has had with flooding & storms. Just enough to keep life ticking over would be very much appreciated. I've been sewing this morning, no one has come out & growled that Bessie my Bernina has woken anyone have a great day! • Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Tuesday, February 19, 2008 It's raining Men Tomatoes Posted in Protager Gardening I'm having fun picking all the toms - I planted heirloom ones this year & its real interesting seeing & eating the different types. One plant keeps giving us deformed toms - but they are nice stewed. I particularly love the yellow tomatoes. - Black Krim I'm not soo sure - might be lack of water but they seem very dry. Today I've had a go at drying cherry tomatoes - just cut them in half, sprinkled some fresh sage on the top & set in car shed to dry - the smell was wonderful in the house but the whirring of dehydrator  got a bit too much. When dry I'll pop in jars with olive oil & garlic - hopefully this will make sundried tomatoes. I have no recipe so if anyone has better ideas I'd really appreciate it. Tonight we are having  fillet steak from home kill beef off a friend - home kill meat is always soo much nicer - I think its soo humane. The animals goes through no stress & its over soo quick - much nicer than taken to the yards, trucked etc... We have zucchinis so will cook them up with tomatoes & garlic (my egg plants aren't ready yet) - some onions. Eggs from chooks for Brent & some nice home made bread. Oh and baked potatoes. I've done my weeks menu plan & am getting in a good routine. Right off to bottle ginger beer & fill the tins. Will take photos of what I decide to make & share recipes later. • Comments (1) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link Sunday, February 17, 2008 The Growing Challenge Posted in Protager Gardening Elements in Time has a growing challenge - I have been a tad slack in posting - but grabbed camera last night & clicked away. I have no idea what this flower is & would LOVE to know if someone can tell me. I thought I was rather clever getting a photo of a cricket - you know you see a great photo op & think stay still, stay there please until I get your photo.  This flower is among a cottage mix I planted & I really like it! - Again would love to know its name. I am in LOVE with hollyhocks - don;t they make a nice show growing up the chicken coop & among the blackberries - someone keeps eating them before we get a feed off them - A human I think! You can see our paddocks are really dry - I keep the grass long around flower/vege beds & pick it for the animals. We are now getting tomatoes daily - the cherry ones are being eaten like fruit in our home - sun ripe you just can't beat! Tastes nothing like shop ones. Front garden looks nice with pumkin, sweetcorn (not sure if this will do ok - I think I planted too late no ears are up yet) zuchini also picking daily - and you can see last of the cauliflowers that I'll pick today for dinner. Honey dew melons we have a bumper crop. James also grew these from seeds & I along with others didn't think we could grow them here - so a real buzz! And my baby - it is soo adorable don't you all think? An egg plant - • Comments (1) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link